Puthenthope Trivandrum

Puthenthope is
special in so many ways. The beautiful beach and the
loving people always beckon to this magnificent Malabar Coast in Trivandrum, India. It is fascinating to know how did this unique
community evolve, where did they come from to an uninhibited barren
land, and why. We do not know many things, but we do know that some
records at the St. Ignatius Loyola church (Parish) show that our
ancestors were 'ettu veeti Pillamar' who came from Ambalapuzha after a
big family conflict. Then they mixed with the Portuguese and Spanish,
and hence carry all the Hispanic surnames like: Pereira, Fernandez,
Gomez, Lopez, Miranda, Silva, D'silva, D'soza, D'cruz.

Our ancestors used so many
Hispanic words,
and the senior citizens still use them, though
those words are not familiar in the regional language Malayalam.
Angengo, one of the first Portuguese forts in India is just a couple of
miles away confirmed the roots of Europeans. The two man made hills in this land
show the earlier connections of the colonial warfare is just a plain
history. But one thing is for sure, they were courageous enough to
overcome any kind of obstacles wherever they lived. Big communities live
in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Dubai, Sharjah, Muscat, Stuttgart,
London, Toronto, Winnipeg, Victoria, Atlanta, Florida, W. Virginia and
Melbourne. Wherever there are Indians or Malayalees, you may certainly
find a person who has roots in Puthenthope.

This is a blessed land where so many priests,
nuns, educators, public servants, and social workers were born. Late Fr.
Zachariah Fernandez (1889-1919) is one of the pioneers. He was the first
person from this land graduated from Madras University in 1917, who will
always inspire every one of us, when it comes to academic success.
Education, hard work, love and care for one another, and the community
prayers had changed the face of this land significantly ever since. Puthenthope, a thriving land of 100% Catholics is an ideal Christian community in
Trivandrum. Also, it is one of the oldest Parishes of the Catholic
Diocese in Kerala India.

In short, it is a civilized catholic community
lives peacefully for many centuries in the vicinity of
Thiruvananthapuram Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala, India, spreads all
over the world. And love binds us together, beyond the Oceans and the
mountains.